Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1887-02-15
RELIGIOUS WORLD.
BISHOP wHrTrLE CONDUCTS THE SER
VICE ar MONUMENTAL cHDRCH.
Monthly Meetings Of the Baptist ana
Methodist Sunday. School socie-
ties-0ther Notes.


DR.. Newton, Bishop WhitAe conducted
the service at Monumental church Sun
day morning, and preached an eloquent
sermon from the parable of the sower
who event forth to SOW" contained IN
the 18th chapter of the Gospel accord
ing to st. Matthew.
The speaker claimed that this parable
taught many truths. From it the minis
ters of the Church learn not to expect
too much from their labors Ministers
are sewers of the Word of God. They
must not preach science, norphilosophy,
nor politics. Their Office is to make
men wise unto salvation and exalt them
unto the purity of Heaven; but, how
ever faithful TO their trust they may be,
they must not expect all men to love
the Gospel. While some receive 1t,
large majority reject it. Most
men, instead Of being improved by
the preaching OF the Gospel,
have their condemnation fearfully
increased by it. The Bishop intimated
that the minister who enters the pulpit
Sunday after Sunday and breaches as
though he expected oil Of his hearers
10 go to heaven is undutiful to his
trust. st. Paul, who was very good
man, never painted God as a careless,
Indifferent, good-natured Father. He
teaches that while there is no con-
demnation to them that are in
Christ Jesus, yet to those that
are not it will be no easy
matter to escape the punishment Of the
wicked The God who is God of love
is also a God of judgment and justice.
Continuing, the preacher claimed
that the text had instructions to the
hearers of the Word as well as the
speakers. 1t was not the fault OF the
sower if the seed did not take root and
grow. The seed was in every case the
same, but the soil was varying. Some
of it was run over by thorns :;
in some places there was mo
deepness of earth" and in other
places it was stony. So, in only
one sort of soil out of four did
the seed spring up. Thus it is with
people. Take a congregation OF people
and you will find many different kinds
of people in it. Take family of chill
dren, and you will find the same diff
ference often. One child may possess
the most noble, devoted piety, and an
other downright infdelity; both nur-
tured by the same parents and taught
the same spiritual precepts. What's
the trouble? The soil.
Some one will say, "My nature is
such that 1 am not a fit receptacle for
the Word of the Gospel. 1t will not
take root in me- My nature is 50, and
I cannot change it. AS well might a
farmer say, because his farm is stony,
or run over by thOrns, or not fertile,
that he will not cultivate it Some
ground is richer than other ground and
easier to cultivate, and it is easier for
some people to become Christians than
others. Some are so naturally, others
by education and training. So some
men are more intelligent than others,
but that is no reason man should
neglect himself and not attempt self
improvement. Some people exhibit
superior qualities of the mind or Of
the heart, but nobody would think of
pleading his jnferiority in these re-
spects as an excuse for not seeking and
striving to overcome them.
Another thing, we must not expect the
same fruit of all Christians. Some
bring forth m hundred-fold, some sixty
fold, some thirty-fold. 1t is only those
who walk with God and have their af-
fections set on things above that bear
any fruit. But every man shall be re-
warded according to his works. There
are many mansions IN our Father 8
house. There are places near and far
away from the throne of God. But, the
speaker said in conclusion, don't be sat
isfied to reach heaven and barely escape
hell, but be good Christiansand "make
your calling and election sure"
BAPTIST sUNDAY-scHooL ASSOCIATION.
The lecture-room of the Pine-Street
Baptist church was packed Sunday
afternoon with friends of the Sunday
school work, the occasion being the
monthly meeting of the Baptist Sun
day-School Association. Mr.. William
| Ellyson presided. Mr.. Robert A. Gary
was secretary. The opening prayer
was offered by Rev. w. j. Shipman.
The singing, which was under the di-
rection Of Mr.. James Calder, was excel
lent. The reports, as whole, were the
most gratifying that have been made
for years-perhaps the best ever made,
and were as follows
Ar'age Attendance.